This weeks Sepia Saturday themes are Library and Sleep. Sleep came to mind as I acquired my first Post Mortem photo in this album and its Sleep at its Ultimate Rest. Photo will be seen later, keep reading.

I found these in a Phoenix, Az antique shop.

The green album looks to be done by Constance Dewilde. Even though her name is nowhere listed nor is she featured, this album has documentation next to all the photos and the writer says in one photo “Naomi is my mother” and that is how we narrowed it down as she was the only child. This looks almost as if it was a type of family tree album working its way down documenting the family, several photos are missing but there are still many left. Here is a brief run down of what was written in the album around the photos.

This album starts with Jane Boyce and Robert Pink living in Donaghadee, Ireland. They married and moved to America, first they lived in Chicago and then on a farm in Kossuth County, Iowa. They had 5 children. John, Jane, “Rob”, Ellen and Elizabeth. (Click on any of the images for a closer view)

Their daughter Jane married Henry Issac Hawley and lived on a farm in Kossuth County Iowa and later moved to Mason City. Henry was a brakeman and conductor for the Milwaukee Railroad. They had a child named Naomi Jane Hawley.(daughter in middle in photo below)

The other album is the Old White One in the Photo and inside the front cover it reads ” Henry Hawley and Jane Pink, December 24, 1896, A Christmas Present”

When I first purchased these I didnt even know they belonged to the same family, so that was even more exciting to discover when I got them home and began to study them.

This one is full of Cabinet Card and some CDV photos in the back. Also one Post Mortem photo.

The fantastic part about this one is that someone went along and wrote in pen detailed information as to almost who is featured in every single photo and their family relation. This is amazing to have for such an old album.

Due to the amount of documentation and names posted, I expect there will be some family contacts arising from this blog, will be curious to see what happens, since we have several family names and lines mentioned in these albums.

All that I can gather is that Constance had these albums, and she died having no children. She was born on February 11, 1927 and passed away on January 22, 2011. Her husband Ralph Height Jr. was an organist and was killed in a car accident in Iowa in 1965 at a young age and there is no info to indicate she remarried. So these may have been in her possession until her death and just ended up being sold or gotten rid of in her estate?

There are also some photos missing but details written on those pages also. People are listed as follows. (I have added a few photos at this time, the album is put up now but I at least got all the names listed here)

This is amazing, and right up my street (I’m a genealogist) – you have a real treasure there, and to have everyone named is fantastic, not to mention unusual. I’m sure descendants of the families would be overjoyed to have copies🙂 Jo

Wow — I’ve never actually seen a postmortem photo, but there was a program on TV recently about them. I had a photo album that I was able to return to the daughter of the owner (owner had died some years prior). That was actually very gratifying. The daughter recognized it right away.

This is an amazing find. Robert Pink is my great uncle. I have no idea how the pictures got to Arizona. He was one of 6 brothers who came over from Donaghadee and mostly farmed in Iowa. His brother, John, is my great grandfather, who farmed in Hampton, Iowa. I think Robert worked in the Omaha slaughterhouses as a young man.

Very cool to find your post! My Great-grandmother was Anne Marie Pink (Annie Schneider). She married William Schneider. Her parents were John Pink and Ellen Lavelle. Robert Pink II was his brother. I’d be very interested in seeing the photos you have of Annie and the other Pink’s. Do you have plans to post any of the other photos you have?

Hi there, Sorry Im away on travels right now and all my albums are in a big storage trunk, so havent had time to go through any of the older ones at the moment. I plan to, if any family is interested in acquiring any of the albums feel free to write me. If Im slow to get back forgive me as Im away at the moment.